As the US and Iranian governments escalate tensions in the already volatile Straits of Hormuz, and China and Russia begin openly questioning Washington’s interference in their internal politics, the world remains on a knife-edge of military tension. Far from being a dispassionate observer of these developments, however, the media has in fact been central to increasing those tensions and preparing the public to expect a military confrontation. But as the online media rises to displace the traditional forms by which the public forms its understanding of the world, many are now beginning to see first hand how the media lies the public into war.

Learn more about the media manipulations behind the beginning of war in this week’s GRTV backgrounder.

Phi Beta Iota: The media today is less about manipulation on its own, and more about serving up the official messages from the cabal on the Wall Street to Washington axis. A few execeptions aside, the media lacks intelligence and integrity. Where it does enjoy both — Mother Jones, Rolling Stone, The Nation — it lacks a whole systems model, true cost economics, or the ability to illuminate “by name” the key people in Washington who are enabling the looting of the 99% on behalf of the 1%. Still lacking is a commitment to expose and eradicate corruption in all its forms. Every school student should watch this — sadly, their principals are so ignorant as to still believe that Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack, the Iraqis threw babies out of incubators, and 9/11 was 20 ragheads armed with box cutters.